Blodin the Beast stalks the land, breathing fire and razing villages to ruins. Who or what can end this tyranny? Only wise old Shanga, weaving his strange carpet, knows how to destroy the monster - but he is too old to cross the mountains that never end... Michael Morpurgo's timeless story of a young boy's quest to save his people, illustrated with Christina Balit's glowing mosaic-like paintings, will entrance children of every age.

This book was recognised in the Booked up category by the Booktrust Book Awards. The Book Trust Best Book Awards with Amazon Kindle, which took place in 2014, aimed to unearth the very best childrens books the UK has to offer, and to honour authors and illustrators who continue Britains proud heritage of storytelling.

There are 32 pages in this book. This is a picture book. A picture book uses pictures and text to tell the story. The number of words varies from zero ('wordless') to around 1k over 32 pages. Picture books are typically aimed at young readers (age 3-6) but can also be aimed at older children (7+). This book was published 1996 by Frances Lincoln Publishers Ltd .

CHRISTINA BALIT studied at Chelsea School of Art and the Royal College of Art. In 1982 she won a Thames Television Travelling Design Bursary and illustrated Report to Greco by Niko Kazantisakis. She has exhibited widely and is also a playwright. Michael Morpurgo has brought together poems by writers as diverse as Spike Milligan and Stevie Smith, John Lennon and Jo Shapcott.